Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UK Membership of EU

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Ireland on the possible implications for cross-border relations between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland of the United Kingdom withdrawing from the European Union.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Contact with the Irish government takes place regularly at all levels. This reflects the close relationship which we now enjoy with the Government of Ireland and the Irish people. Discussions cover all issues, including the impact that the British Government’s proposals for reform will have on Ireland, our closest neighbour and friend. Most recently the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr David Lidington), visited Dublin on 26 May for consultations on EU reform; the first visit he made after his reappointment following the general election.This Government intends to seek reforms in the EU which will benefit not just the UK but all Member States. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), is confident that he can and will succeed in negotiating to reform the European Union and maintain Britain’s position within it. The Prime Minister will meet the Taoiseach for their annual Summit on 18 June which will provide another opportunity for an exchange of views.

UK Membership of EU

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps, if any, they are taking to ensure that no significant European Union policy changes will be agreed or implemented during the period of re-negotiation ahead of a referendum in the United Kingdom on membership of the European Union.

Earl of Courtown: The British Government will continue to conduct European Union business during this period. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has been clear with EU partners that reforming the EU and renegotiating the UK’s relationship ahead of a referendum is a priority for the UK and the British people.

Africa: Refugees

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to (1) the African Union, and (2) the governments of African source and transit countries, regarding (a) strengthening law enforcement against human traffickers and their agents in sub-Saharan Africa, and (b) warning their citizens about the dangers of making trans-Saharan and Mediterranean voyages for the purposes of irregular migration.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Government Ministers have discussed combating trafficking with African partners, including at the meeting in Rome last November, which launched the EU-African Union (AU) Khartoum Process designed to tackle trafficking and smuggling in the Horn of Africa.Our Posts and senior officials from London have continued this dialogue with relevant countries and the AU. Most recently, officials participated in the Khartoum Process Steering Committee meeting in Egypt in April, which discussed a range of projects to strengthen law enforcement and raise awareness.In Ethiopia, the Department for International Development works with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and partners to fund awareness raising campaigns on the dangers of illegal migration for Eritrean refugees.The Government is committed to taking action to fight Modern Slavery. The Modern Slavery Strategy, published alongside the Modern Slavery Act in March, includes efforts to work with other countries to tackle the problem at source.

Turkey: Kurds

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkey regarding the extent of progress in providing Kurdish-language education in state primary schools in majority Kurdish areas.

Earl of Courtown: UK officials often visit Kurdish areas in Turkey to meet interlocutors from government and civil society and frequently discuss issues such as mother tongue education. We welcome efforts by the Turkish government, such as the 2013 “democratisation package”, to improve minority rights for minority groups in Turkey, including the Kurds, and we look forward to further progress in this area.

USA: Electronic Surveillance

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States regarding the temporary halt of a range of surveillance powers in that country; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that halt for the United Kingdom intelligence services in the light of the forthcoming bill regarding communications data.

Earl of Courtown: We have ongoing discussions with the US government on a full range of intelligence and security issues. The approval of the Freedom Act is a matter for the US government. With regard to the impact on our intelligence services of the temporary halt of a range of surveillance powers in the US, it is a long-standing policy of the British Government that we do not comment on intelligence matters. The Gracious Speech contained a commitment to bring forward legislation on communications data, and that legislation will extend to all of the investigatory powers covered in David Anderson’s review.

Poland

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to raise with the newly-elected President of Poland the issue of restitution of property seized from Polish citizens during the Nazi and Communist regimes.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Baroness to my answer of 24 March 2015 (HL5574). We will continue to look for more opportunities to raise property restitution with the relevant Polish authorities, and encourage the government in Poland to make progress on legislation in this area.

Bahrain: Prisoners

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the arrest and imprisonment of Ms Zainab Al Khawaja whilst attempting to visit her father in prison in Bahrain; and whether they plan to hold discussions with the government of Bahrain about her imprisonment.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: This case against Zainab Al Khawaja follows an incident in Jau prison when her father, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, was on hunger strike. We understand Ms Al Khawaja attempted to enter an area of the prison closed to the public and stage a sit-in, and as a result, was forcibly removed from the facility. She has the right to appeal. Our Embassy in Bahrain will continue to monitor the case closely.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Graduates: Numeracy

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the 2015 Skills: Outlook report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development which reported that United Kingdom graduates leave university with lower numeracy skills than their peers in any other country except the United States, and of its implications for young people entering the labour market; and what plans they have to address this issue.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is committed to driving up standards at all levels of education to help improve employability and the OECD’s report underlines the need for our rigorous new curriculum that focuses on the basics, so that children from a young age have a strong foundation on which to build. We would want higher education institutions to continue to play their part in helping to address the weak basic skills exhibited by a small proportion of graduates. However, surveys of employers currently show very high levels of satisfaction with the skills of UK graduates.

EU Grants and Loans

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the value for money obtained by the European Structural and Investment Funds in the light of the increase in the United Kingdom's net contribution to the European Union budget.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: In 2013, the Prime Minister secured the first ever cut to the seven-year EU Budget Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). As a result, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR’s) latest forecast, UK net contributions to the EU Budget going forward will, on average, be lower per year than in 2013/14 – the final year of the last seven-year deal secured by the previous Government – not higher. The Government supports the objectives of the European Structural and Investment Funds. These programmes are now more strongly focused on results following the implementation of a rigorous performance framework sought by the UK and other net payers during MFF negotiations. The Government is committed to continue to ensure maximum restraint and maximum value for money when it comes to EU expenditure.

Dismissal

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the difficulties faced by employees who are sacked in their first two years of employment, in the light of changes to employment law and employment tribunal fees.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The qualifying period for unfair dismissal was increased to two years in 2012. From initial analysis we cannot see any clear signs that this has had a negative impact on employment. ONS Labour Market Statistics show a decreasing trend in unemployment figures and according to the CBI/Accenture employment trends survey 2014, half of employers (50%) expect their workforce to be larger in 12 months’ time.   The Ministry of Justice has initiated a review of the impact of employment tribunal fees. We will consider the outcome of this review in due course.

Department for International Development

Burma: Ethnic Groups

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of financial assistance that is being provided to Rohingya refugees in camps in Rakhine State, Burma and Bangladesh.

Baroness Verma: The UN Humanitarian Response Plan budget for Rakhine State, Burma in 2015 totals $118m. This is for overall humanitarian assistance including, but not limited to, the camps. The UK’s bilateral humanitarian funding to Rakhine is £18 million since 2012 including needs identified in the UN humanitarian response plan. DFID visits displaced persons camps in Rakhine regularly and assesses the UN response plan and budget to be realistic. We are also the largest donors to a major $44m rural livelihoods programme in Rakhine. Addressing the political challenges is equally important and we are pushing for improved humanitarian access, greater protection and accountability and sustainable solutions to displacement, intercommunal relations and citizenship.  A range of donors including the UK, Australia, the European Commission and the US have committed approximately £19 million for 2014 – 2017 towards humanitarian activities for Rohingyas living in camps and host communities in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh the UK’s Rohingya related humanitarian programme totals £4.75 million of which £2.25 million will target Rohingya refugees living in camps.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current availability of electricity, water, and sewerage to the people of Gaza.

Baroness Verma: UK aid is saving lives and providing services, but we still need to see a political solution for Gaza that will open up movement and access whilst addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns. We continue to press Israel to facilitate improvements in water and electricity infrastructure in Gaza. The issue has also been raised in recent visits by the Minister of State for International Development and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Department for Education

Teachers: Standards

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to recruit more good graduates into teaching and to improve the skills of current teachers.

Lord Nash: We are committed to recruiting high-quality graduates into teaching. We have seen an increase over the last five years in the proportion of new entrants who hold a first or upper second class degree, rising from 61% in 2009/10 to 73% in 2014/15. For 2015/16, we have increased the postgraduate bursary from £20,000 to £25,000 for trainees with a first class degree training to teach mathematics, physics, computing, chemistry and modern foreign languages. Prestigious scholarship awards, of £25,000, are also available to outstanding graduates with a first or upper second class degree in mathematics, physics, chemistry or computing. We have supported the expansion of Teach First, which brings the highest quality graduates into challenging schools, by more than doubling the number of participants since 2010 and widening coverage of the programme to schools across England. We also recognise the importance of teachers being able to develop and improve their practice throughout their careers. Improvement in teaching is most effective when it is led by the best teachers and the most successful schools, and when it is based on evidence. That is why we promote opportunities for teachers to learn from others and for schools to support other schools, for example through the growing Teaching Schools network. The government also remains committed to offering support to emerging plans for a profession-led College of Teaching to increase the status of the profession and take the lead in developing truly outstanding professional development and evidence-informed practice.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Sentences

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each of the last three calendar years, how many courses for (1) indeterminate sentence prisoners and (2) prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection were provided in (a) HMP Acklington and HMP Durham, and (b) the rest of the prison service.

Lord Faulks: National Offender Management Service and its partners provide a range of courses and activities within prisons to enable prisoners to increase the chances of successful resettlement and to protect the public   NOMS allocates programme and public protection resources based on the type of offender, their needs and their level of risk in order to maximise public safety and value for money. Central records of what courses and activities different categories of prisoners can access are not kept, except those for NOMS accredited Offending Behaviour Programmes but this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.   In HMPs Durham and Northumberland specifically there are currently 120 different interventions listed.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

House of Lords: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Patten: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether there has been consultation with Historic Royal Palaces during the development of plans concerning the refurbishment of the House of Lords.

Lord Sewel: The Parliamentary Estates Directorate has links with Historic Royal Palaces and the occupied Royal Palaces. These bodies, along with the Government Historic Estates Unit and the National Trust, share knowledge gained from both the execution of works affecting the historic fabric of their buildings and the extensive research which precedes any such operation. The Restoration and Renewal Programme has had informal, off the record discussions with Historic Royal Palaces from time to time.

Ministry of Defence

Trident Submarines

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the decision to proceed with the building of four replacement Trident submarines will require parliamentary approval; and if so, whether they plan to seek such parliamentary approval at the same time as, or before, the Main Gate decision is made.

Earl Howe: This Government was elected on a mandate to renew Trident and provide continuous at sea deterrence by replacing the Vanguard-class submarines with a fleet of four Successor submarines. Parliament has already debated the vote twice on the issue, on 14 March 2007 and again on 20 January 2015. A further debate is planned during this Parliament.

Trident

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, by October 2015, how much money will have been committed to replacing Trident.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer my predecessor the noble Lord Astor of Hever gave on 4 November 2014 to Question number HL2404.Figures for the end of the Financial Year 2014-15 will not be available until the Ministry of Defence's Annual Reports and Accounts have been published.  



Trident Submarines
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Warships: Libya

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make providing a ship of the Naval Service to operations off Libya a directed task.

Earl Howe: There are no plans to make the Naval assets currently delivering search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean a part of the Committed Force.The terminology 'directed task' was replaced at the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 by 'Committed Force' as a new approach to describing the tasks required by Future Force 2020.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Ministerial Duties

Baroness Campbell of Surbiton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the ministerial brief of the Minister for disabled people will change in the light of the fact that the position is now at the level of Parliamentary under-Secretary of State; and if so, how.

Lord Freud: The status of the office for the Minister for Disabled People remains unchanged. Previously, where the role has been held by a Minister of State, the portfolio has included other responsibilities. The Minister for Disabled People's portfolio is now available on GOV.UK. The Ministerial brief for the Minister for Disabled People is as follows: Cross-government disability issues and strategy; disability benefits (Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance); mental health matters; carers; appeals reform; Health and Safety Executive and Access to Work.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rights of Way

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their timetable for implementing the provisions concerning footpaths and bridleways contained in the Deregulation Act 2015.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The relevant provisions in the Deregulation Act 2015 will be implemented as soon as all the secondary legislation and guidance needed to make them work have been put in place.

Home Office

Immigrants: Detainees

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving to ending detention of child immigrants and to replacing it with an alternative.

Lord Bates: We ended the routine detention of families with children in 2010 following the introduction of the Family Returns Process, key elements of which were enshrined in the Immigration Act 2014. As part of that process, families with children who have failed to take up the opportunities to leave the UK voluntarily may, as a last resort, be detained very briefly to support their ensured return in dedicated accommodation, supported by appropriate professionals. In addition, it remains necessary on occasion to detain families with children at the border for short periods of time while enquiries are made to decide whether they can be admitted to the country, or until the next available return flight if they are refused entry.It is already the case that unaccompanied children may be detained only in a limited number of very exceptional circumstances. This includes at the border, where they may be detained very briefly for their care and safety pending alternative care arrangements being made for them, for example, collection by relatives or friends or local authority children’s services.

Asylum

Lord Paddick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Bates on 8 June (HL Deb, col 671), whether the Dublin Regulation would still apply to the United Kingdom if it were no longer a member of the European Union.

Lord Bates: The Prime Minister is focused on success: he believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and is campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.

Refugees: Syria

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further consideration have they given to taking in the quota of refugees from Syria suggested by the UN.

Lord Bates: The Government is deeply concerned about the suffering and hardship caused by the Syrian conflict, and we are determined that the UK will continue to play our full part in responding to the humanitarian crisis.The UK has donated £800 million in response to the crisis, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the USA, and helping to provide vital support to hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians right across the region. Through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme, we are also helping some of the most vulnerable Syrians who cannot be supported effectively in the region by offering them care and support in the UK, prioritising women and children at risk, people in severe need of medical care and survivors of torture and violence. The scheme runs in parallel to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) Syrian humanitarian admission programme, as we believe we can contribute most by basing our resettlement scheme on need rather than a fulfilling a quota. However, we have said we expect the scheme to help several hundred people over three years, and we remain firmly on track to achieve that. We are working closely with the UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable displaced Syrians, and bring them to the UK. Between the first arrivals in March 2014 and the end of March this year, 187 people arrived under the scheme, and groups continue to arrive on a regular basis. This is in addition to Syrians the UK has granted asylum under our normal rules; since the crisis began in 2011, we have granted asylum or other forms of leave to over 4,200 Syrian nationals.However, with 3.9 million displaced Syrians in Syria’s neighbouring countries and millions more in need within Syria itself, protection in the UK can only ever help a minority of those who so desperately need help. The Government strongly believes that the UK can have the greatest impact by continuing to focus our efforts on substantial humanitarian aid to help provide support to the majority of displaced people who remain in the region and ease the burden on their host countries. By the end of September last year, UK aid had delivered over 8.7 million food rations (each of which feeds one person for one month), provided access to clean water for 1.5 million people per month, and over 1.3 million medical consultations in Syria and the region. The VPR scheme, which is the first resettlement scheme operated by the UK to target beneficiaries specifically on the basis of vulnerability, complements our aid by focusing on providing support in the UK to some of the most vulnerable displaced people who cannot be supported effectively in the region.We therefore have no current plans to participate in a quota resettlement scheme; we believe that our current approach is the best way for the UK to help people who are suffering due to the crisis.

HM Treasury

Banks: British Overseas Territories

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve banking regulation in United Kingdom overseas territories in the light of allegations that companies in the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos were used by FIFA officials and executives to facilitate corrupt payments.

Lord Ashton of Hyde: International standards on anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML and CTF), including regulation and supervision of financial institutions, are set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) of which the UK is a member. The Caribbean Overseas Territories (OTs) are members of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and as such have signed up to implement the FATF standards. They are also subject to mutual evaluations of their AML/CTF regimes through this body. The UK Government continues to engage actively with the OTs to encourage them to make improvements to their AML and CTF regimes in line with the international standards and the UK’s approach. However, the OTs are separate jurisdictions with their own democratically elected governments and changes to their regimes will ultimately be a decision for the locally elected government of each Territory.

Social Security Benefits

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development In It Together: Why Less Inequality Benefits All; and whether they plan to reconsider further cuts in benefits in the light of that assessment.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government considers reports and publications from external organisations on an ongoing basis as part of the policy making process. The UK has one of the most redistributive tax and welfare systems in Europe, supported by a labour market that is continuing to perform strongly. UK income inequality is lower than in 2010 and the gender pay gap is at its lowest since records began. The government is committed to its path of fiscal consolidation, so will continue to making savings in public expenditure, including in welfare. The Chancellor will set out further detail on the composition of spending and welfare changes at the forthcoming Budget and Spending Review.

Cider: Tax Allowances

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the European Commission following its formal request that the United Kingdom end the tax exemption currently available to small cider producers.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government’s support for small cider makers has helped create a diverse and vibrant market, improving consumer choice and creating jobs. We are therefore studying the Commission’s arguments carefully, but the government’s support for this unique British industry will continue.   Most recently, to support the wider industry, the duty on lower strength cider was cut by 2 per cent at Budget 2015, with a similar benefit in cash terms for higher strength still cider.

Infrastructure: Capital Investment

Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development statement that without investment in United Kingdom infrastructure of around 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product per year, competitiveness would be blunted and there would be detrimental implications for the quality of life for the United Kingdom's growing population.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Following actions taken in the last Parliament, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development forecasts the UK to be the fastest growing major advanced economy in 2015, with GDP growth of 2.4 per cent.   The Government recognises that improving productivity is the route to raising standards of living for everyone in this country, and that high quality infrastructure is necessary for a productive and competitive economy.   That is why the National Infrastructure Plan was introduced. It sets out a coherent vision for economic infrastructure in the UK, including delivery plans to 2020 in key sectors to provide transparency and clarity to investors and the supply chain on the Government’s strategy to finance and deliver critical projects. The 2014 Plan was published alongside a pipeline of over £460 billion of public and private investment in infrastructure to the end of the decade and beyond.   It is also why the Government will publish a Productivity Plan before the Budget. This will be our plan to make Britain work better. It will be based on providing economic security, rebalancing the economy and building the Northern Powerhouse, and making our economy more productive by improving our physical infrastructure, among other measures.

Infrastructure: Capital Investment

Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to increase government investment in infrastructure from the currently planned level of around £30 billion a year in order to achieve the annual target recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Average annual infrastructure investment, in the public and private sectors, was 15 per cent higher in the last Parliament than it was in the preceding Parliament - increasing from £41 billion between 2005-06 and 2009-10 to £47 billion between 2010-11 and 2013-14.   The National Infrastructure Plan 2014 set out an infrastructure pipeline of over £460 billion of planned public and private investment to the end of the decade and beyond.   In the last parliament, the Government prioritised capital investment plans in infrastructure, increasing them by £10 billion. The 2013 Budget made those increases permanent, increasing capital plans by £3 billion per year from 2015/16.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Warm Home Discount Scheme

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to providing eligible families with the Warm Home Discount automatically.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Warm Home Discount scheme is established in regulations until March 2016. Recent changes to the regulations included the introduction of standard eligibility criteria to make it simpler for working families to access the scheme (under the so-called Broader Group).

Warm Home Discount Scheme

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the number of households eligible for the Warm Home Discount.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Warm Home Discount scheme is established in regulations until March 2016.As set out in the fuel poverty strategy published in March 2015, the Government will continue to consider the role of energy bill rebates as a tool both for cost effective progress against the fuel poverty target and for alleviating the negative impacts of energy price rises in low income low cost households.

Department of Health

Mental Illness: Children

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address the reported rise in the number of children suffering from mental health issues.

Lord Prior of Brampton: This Government is committed to improving children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.The Department is working with NHS England and other partners to consider how best to drive forward transformation in children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme is already being expanded to cover additional areas of clinical practice, so that by 2018 children and young people across all of England will have access to evidence based psychotherapies. The Department is also commissioning a new national survey on the prevalence of mental health problems in children and young people, the first since 2004.

Maternity Services

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve access to healthcare for all mothers, regardless of their wealth or immigration status.

Lord Prior of Brampton: All women regardless of their wealth or immigration status are encouraged to contact their maternity services as soon as they know they are pregnant for a full assessment of their health, risk factors and choices so that a personalised plan of care can be prepared. The latest data shows that over 96% of pregnant women in England received their full health and risk assessment before 12 weeks and 6 days between April and June 2014. Early access to maternity services helps tackle the negative impact of health inequalities from the start of life and supports good health and well-being in mother and baby. Women with complex social factors do not always access maternity services early, or attend regularly for antenatal care and poorer outcomes are consequently reported for mother and baby. Maternity services need to be proactive in engaging all women. To support National Health Service maternity services engagement with pregnant women with complex social factors, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published clinical guidelines on pregnancy and complex social factors, which describes how access to care can be improved and contact with antenatal care maintained. Maternity services feature prominently in the key objectives set out in the Mandate between the Government and NHS England. All women, regardless of their wealth or immigration status, should have a named midwife responsible for ensuring she receives personalised care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period. To help reduce unwarranted variation in service delivery and encourage innovation, NHS England has established Maternity and Children Strategic Clinical Networks.  Entitlement to free NHS hospital treatment in England is based on being ‘ordinarily resident’ in the United Kingdom. Except in rare circumstances, nationals of countries outside the European Economic Area must also have ‘indefinite leave to remain’ in the UK in order to be ordinarily resident here. Anyone not ordinarily resident here is subject to the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, and will be charged for any treatment they receive unless an exemption from charge category applies. Chargeable treatment which is considered by clinicians to be immediately necessary, must never be withheld from an overseas visitor. Guidance to NHS trusts makes clear that all maternity services – including routine ante-natal treatment - should be regarded as immediately necessary. This means that no woman will be denied maternity services, even if she cannot pay in advance, although she will still be charged for treatment and expected to pay later.

Dermatology: Nottingham

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether all locums employed by CircleNottingham are qualified to be included on the General Medical Council specialist register for dermatology specialist services.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No assessment has been made by the Department of whether all locums employed by Circle Nottingham, an independent organisation, are qualified to be included on the General Medical Council specialist register for dermatology specialist services.Circle Health Limited is an independent organisation. It is for the employer, not the Department, to ensure its employees are appropriately skilled, trained, qualified and professionally registered for the roles they are fulfilling.

Obesity: Cancer

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to tackle obesity as a cause of cancer deaths.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Tackling obesity is one of our major priorities. Progress has been made in recent years, but we know we have much further to go and we will put forward our plans in due course.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to change the rules governing migrants' access to healthcare.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department updated the Charging Regulations on 6 April 2015 to improve the identification and recharging of European Economic Area and non-EEA patients. We will continue to consider whether any additional changes should be made to the charging rules, and communicate as required.